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Thursday, May 28, 2009

I hate car inspection stickers. Every year, when May rolls around I remind myself that I need to get a new sticker. I write it down on my "to-do" list every week. And yet every last week of May, I find myself on a deadline and no sticker.

I went out around lunch-time today to get said sticker. I found a garage where there was only one person ahead of me and was happy that I would have a sticker before I head to PA. I pull my car into the garage, the man takes my registration and $29 fee. (Why $29 cash? Couldn't they just round it up to 30 to make it easier???) I make myself comfortable in the lobby and wish that I had brought a book to read.

The auto tech comes over, hands me back my the reg and my $29.00. I'm puzzled. He said "Everything on your car is fine, Ma'am. But I can't give you a sticker because there's something wrong with your registration." WHAT??! Then he tells me that I am going to have to go to the Registry to find out.

Oh NO!! Anything but that! I'm sure it's similar in other states, but the Registry of Motor Vehicles is usually a terrible experience. The lines are ridiculously long, the fees are usually outrageous and the personnel is well.....not personable. Maybe there is an exception to this rule, but I sometimes wonder if people who work at the registry answer personal ads that ask how difficult they can be in situations.

I give myself points for being clever today: I stopped and ate lunch before I headed over. When I got there, there was a long line to get your little ticket to wait in another line. My ticket said that there was approximately a 29 minute wait. Not bad. I should've known it was too good to be true, because it was over an hour. And I never did make it to the counter, because I ran into someone else with the same problem and he was told that the inspection system was offline. I knew I didn't have anything wrong with my registration!!!

Anywho, there's two hours of my life lost forever. And I still don't have a damn sticker.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

We left Will with friends for Friday and Saturday night at our house. We knew he'd have a blast, and he did! Friday was the rehearsal--it went very well, despite one of the readers and the mother of the bride getting stuck in a elevator. We then headed for a fabulous dinner for twenty at Restaurant 45. I'd never been there and it was great! Then we all turned in for the big day ahead.

Brian dancing with our Mom

It was raining in the morning, but the sun was out an hour or so before the ceremony, allowing us to take outdoor pictures. One of Kim's parents neighbors graciously allowed us to use their backyard, which bordered on a pretty little pond. A limo whisked the bridal party (and one groomswoman) to the ceremony, which was gorgeous. I teared up a little when Brian and Kim said their vows. Then we headed to the Cumberland Monastery for some more outdoor pictures in their public gardens.

Kim feeding cake to Brian

Then it was off to the reception! The ride was really hard and bumpy....but we arrived in one piece. Kim's cousins had taken pictures of every person entering the ceremony, and they printed them out while we were taking pictures and created a personal guestbook where you signed under your picture. My husband's Best Man speech was funny and short, poking just enough fun at the bride and groom for humor, and ending sincerely. Good food, cake table and dancing....it was a great night!

Posing with the bride and groom

The new Mr. and Mrs. are headed to their Florida honeymoon at 3AM tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

For those of you who know Brian, you know that he is at his happiest when he is doing some sort of home remodeling! When we first bought this house seven (seven??) years ago, it needed a lot of work. Luckily, most of it was cosmetic. We've gutted two bathrooms, an entire kitchen and a family room, and repainted/re-done every other room in between. We've always been focused on getting the inside done first.

Now, it's time for some outside work. Soon we will be replacing our porch floor, stairwell and railing. I say "we" as if I am going to do any part of it. My part is to go to the store if necessary, keep up with the rest of the regular work, feed him and make him smile when it's all falling apart!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Ten years ago this weekend, Brian asked me to marry him. It was the best decision I ever made. And yes, this is our actual engagement picture. (Per Brian, I'm also required to tell you about how I walked away without giving him an answer....not on purpose! I was so surprised that he was proposing that way, and I caught a glimpse of the photo on the computer monitor and went to see it.)

In a little while I'll be dropping Brian off at the train station to participate in Urban Dare. It's this race "where smarts can beat speed. Teams of 2 solve clues to find checkpoints where they must take photos or perform dares."

Brian is headed into the city with our friend Chris for this. They'll have to eat things at checkpoints (nothing gross, like Fear Factor) and take pictures of themselves doing things. They'll also have to solve riddles and puzzles, and for this they have a network (me, Jenny and Pete) at home to look stuff up for them. They also get to bring a GPS and maps with them. I've never heard of this race, but it sounds intriguing. I can't wait to hear all about it and post pictures!

After Will's nap this afternoon I'm going to drive up to Chris's house in Northern MA and hang out with Jenny. And I get to meet Baby Nolan!!!

Monday, May 11, 2009

This is definitely my biggest knitting project thus far. I am working on this tote bag:

Mine is going to be sage and cocoa. It consists of making two panels of twenty-one stripes each. Then you sew the two panels together, and knit a handle. Then you sew on the knitted handle, and felt the bag. Sounds easy, right?

I've completed eleven of the twenty-one stripes on the first panel. I've been working on it on-and-off for about a month. (Slow and steady wins the race!) I can't get it to stop curling at the bottom though, and I'm told the only way that's going to go away is when I sew the bottom of the panels together. It's looking nice, if I do say so myself!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

I admit it. I'm one of those people who stockpile. My linen closet has enough shampoo and body wash to ring in the next decade! I have a fully stocked freezer and half the time I don't even know what's in there. If coffee is on sale, I'll buy several and then someday, months down the road, be shocked when I run out. And don't get me started on rice, soup and cake mixes.

So today, I've set a goal: to start using what we already have. Brian wrote out our weekly menu this week, and he went through the freezer first. And I vow to use all of the shampoo in the house before I buy another bottle. I also signed up for a local version of "The Great American Bake Sale" with proceeds going towards ending childhood hunger. That'll take care of the five cake mixes that I have in the house. After all, I love to bake but it's no good for the waistline. This satisfies both the baking bug and doing a little community service!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

It's funny how your idea of the perfect day changes as you get older. Today, I am alone in the house and it is blissfully quiet. I am going to have some breakfast, peruse the Sunday paper over coffee, jump on the WiiFit and head out to a Mama's brunch with my playgroup friends. After, I am going to get a pedicure (the first of the season!) and maybe window-shop a little. I am going to drop off/pick up library books and then stop by Lowe's to buy a tomato plant or two. Later on, my munchkin will be dropped off after a sleepover at Nana's and we'll play until it's time for dinner and the bedtime routine. My house is clean, the groceries are fetched and I just have to do a couple of loads of laundry. I feel relaxed, tranquil and happy. Sounds pretty perfect to me!!! :)